Don’t Boo Me

It has come to my attention that there is this somewhat new practice of ‘booing’ your neighbors for Halloween. Evidently, this involves leaving a basket or bag of treats at their door with a cute little poem requesting that they pay it forward (i.e. that they then ‘boo’ other people in the neighborhood). While I am all for neighborly love and doing kind things for others, I politely ask that you don’t ‘boo’ me. Please.

You see, when I find these strategically placed gifts at my door, all I can think is thank you, now I have one more thing to do. Much like the advent of the Elf on the Shelf, this is some cute idea thought up by some well-intentioned mom out there, hoping to spread some sort of cheer (or in the case of the Elf, to make A LOT of money). I barely have time to make sure my child is wearing outfits that match and are seasonably appropriate; I don’t really want to carve out time to prepare a gift basket for a random neighbor. And no, I don’t plan to have a make-believe character spell out my child’s name in marshmallows while they sleep this holiday season. I simply do not have the time.

I donate to charity. I adopted my cat from a shelter. I wave to my neighbors and participate in neighborhood activities when I can. I do enough. And when I arrive home after being away for nearly 12 hours each day, I don’t want the added pressure of feeling like I have to do ONE. MORE. THING. So thank you, but no thank you. I don’t really need this item added to my to-do list. I’m busy making sure my own child has a costume prepared so I can rush home from work and spend my precious remaining hours enjoying Halloween with him.

Leah Ballard

Hi. I'm Leah. I'm a wife, mother, full-time employee and blogger. I am trying to juggle all these roles while also figuring out what I want to be 'when I grow up.' I hope you'll join me and gain some insights into your own professional journey along the way. Read More…